Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Tablet Review

Samsung steps up its game, going toe to toe with the best Android products on the market.

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This review was published on August 29, 2011. Since then, this product may have been discontinued or replaced. Pricing and availability may differ from what is stated in the review.

Controls

Despite the fact that most of the controls are accessed through the touch-sensitive screen, there are some physical controls on the top of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. These controls are limited to volume up/down and power, but they are still nice to have available. You can tap the power button to put your tablet on standby, or hold it to toggle the shutdown menu.

Connectivity

If you buy the Galaxy Tab 10.1, you will enjoy fast downloads with the onboard 802.11/n wireless card, which topped out at about 1.3MB/sec here at the lab. Users with a good data plan may want to consider using the iteration of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that can connect to a cell network, but the WiFi only version will keep you satisfied so long as you have access to a good signal. Because eBooks are generally small, you will download them quickly. For reference, we downloaded the entirety of Tolstoy's "War and Peace" in about 15 seconds.

Aside from having a really awesome wireless card, there's really only the USB port to interface with the device. Still, beginner users, or users without the dire need to export their image to a TV via an HDMI port shouldn't need to worry too much about this.

Battery Life

In comparison to other LCD screened tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has decent battery life, with a total runtime of over 24 hours playing audio continuously, 6 hours and 48 minutes playing video, and 7 hours and 50 minutes reading an eBook. While this battery life is a bit better than the other tablets in its price range, overall this tablet has a very average battery life.

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For all of our tests, we turn off the wireless card, crank the backlight to maximum, and shut down any other programs running in the background. Consequently, your mileage may vary: the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is able to squeeze out as much battery life as it can with a feature commonly seen on TVs to artificially boost contrast (smart dimming), but we turned it off for our battery tests because we have a very specific set of parameters for our testing conditions. Other factors that may change your battery life include enabled wireless, backlight, and programs running in the background.

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Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

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Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.